School is trying to take over my life. I back handed it then told climbing to grab the steering wheel.
So the weekend in the Beartooths, a couple weeks ago, was killer. With a crew of five; Mike Snyder, Clint Cook, Joel Anderson, Aaron Mulkey, and myself, there was a compilation of completely sick sends. The aura of the trip was really cool for me. It was a first overnight trip where we climbed camped and then when morning came again climbed.
When Aaron and I pulled in around one I was ready to crush. Every one else had already had their morning sesh and they were about ready for seconds. We all got psyched and headed of to the first boulder on our itinerary. The boulder had a V5 and a soft V7/8 called Rod of Lordly Might. For some reason I miss heard the routes grade as V2 and V5. So Mike walks up the V5 i thought was a V2. So i hop on all eager to warm up. I find my way to the crux finding myself really struggling to pull through, making it to the top barely. Once at the bottom I made some comments about how stiff of a two it seemed like and i was corrected relieved to hear it wasn't one. The next route, Rod of Lordly Might, showed me some of the most impressive climbing I've ever seen. Clint had been working on it but he is relatively short and it consisted of some big throws so it was really challenging him. After working it for a little bit he gripped down onto the rock set with determination. He makes the first move to not so good sloper, the crux move for me, sets up his feet for the next move and dynos it. Bearing down he hits the next crimp bumps up then moves out right to a crimp at first he couldn't reach it but knowing he had already gotten this far he pushed that two more needed inches. The next move was a real test of balance. He had kept a heel until now and it was too late to change to a tow so after half a minute of struggling he set his muscles all the way to the work and stood up. He had done the route. This has to have been one of the most inspiring things to me, I know there are all those videos out there that you see and they inspire you. But this was different this wasn't a pro this was the average guy that has his weekly sessions with his friends showing you that even when it looks beyond possible its not.
After there we hiked for a while to find this boulder which unbeknownst to us was ripe for first ascents. RIght once we found ourselves slipping on shoes to climb the rain started to come down. Pulling all the pads into the cave we waited out the light shower. I was fired up to try this route that traversed across the bottom on a two foot diameter pipe like feature. Once at the end of this you hit a slopey crimp then rocked out to a small crimp and hucked. Then there was another 10 or so feet of get-you-pumped climbing. Once I finally did this route and topped out I felt like puking since stupidly all I had eaten that day were a handful of almonds and a clifbar.
Well I have to go. I'll finish this story next time.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
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